Behind the Scenes
by Newbie GK
Summary: A collection of moments that occurred off stage when no one was watching. Third: He warned her, but sometimes it paid not to listen. AkariRyusei
1. Finding a Plan

**Author's Note**: I wrote this simply because this manga needs more stories. Each chapter will be a stand alone story unless stated otherwise. Updates will be sporadic but I hope to have something every month or so. We'll see how it goes.

**Summary**: Akari was a dreamer. But that was okay because Ryusei had a plan.

**Prompt**: Calling

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Finding a Plan

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At age five, Akari was a dreamer. She loved dressing up in her fairy costume and having tea parties with all her toys. She enjoyed putting on her mother's makeup and heels and pretending she was a model. She liked playing doctor with her dad's white collared shirt and put patches and gauze on her stuffed animals.

At age fifteen, Akari was still a dreamer. She spent more time with her head in the clouds than her nose in the books. She lived for the moment. She tried to not focus on the past and never wanted to think about the future.

Then she met Ryusei.

Suddenly the future became very real to her. It wasn't before long that she found herself floundering in the vast ocean of the future. Where should she go to school? Should she even attend college? Where would she work? Should she look for a job outside of kabuki?

It was overwhelming. Two short months before she graduated high school, she finally broke down. Ryusei found her crying in the dressing room backstage.

"Akari! What happened?"

Even as his voice rose in volume, she could feel his arms gently moving around her to comfort her.

"It's nothing," she said, hiccuping into his shoulder. The rough fabric of his kimono muffling her voice, "I'm fine."

"You're crying."

She sighed. Only he could made a word like crying sound like some unforgivable sin. She turned her head to face into his neck. His unique scent of sandalwood and sweat helped to calm her nerves.

"I just…"

"What?"

"I'm graduating soon… and where am I going to live? What will I do?"

His arms loosened as he pulled back to look at her. "What does it matter?"

The slight dismissal in his tone caused something to snap inside of her. The stress, the fear, the anxiety she had been feeling for months erupted in a loud shout as she pushed him away from her.

"This is easy for you because you already know what you're doing, but I don't!" She said her voice rising with a sob, "I'm not skilled. I can't became an actress or anything. What am I going to do?"

She only had a moment to see a flicker of emotion flash across his face before he pulled her close enough to knock the air from her lungs.

"You're going to stay with me," he growled, mouth close enough to her ear to cause her gasp, "You're going to live with me. You're going to be with me."

"Ryusei…"

He loosen his hold long enough to look her in the eyes. "I told you before – I can't do this without you."

The sincerity in his voice caused Akari to smile. "Okay," she replied softly, snuggling into his chest. "I'll stay with you."

At eighteen-years-old, Akari finally found her calling. And it was Ryusei.


	2. Someone Special

**Author's Note**: I am considering deleting some of my stories off of this site, including this one. However, since I already had this chapter written I figured I would post it for a short time. More details are available on my profile page.

**Summary**: It was easy to see that Ryusei was someone special. But that wasn't what drew her to him.

**Prompt**: Nine in the Afternoon

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Someone Special

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It was their third date. On their first date, they went to a movie. The second took place during Akari's class trip to Kyoto.

Akari twirled in front of her mirror in her new green pleated skirt. The skirt cost more than she would normally would spend but Ryusei hardly ever took her out and she wanted to make sure she looked her best. She gave her reflection one last parting look before she grabbed her purse and headed out. The bright sun overhead made her wince and wish for her sunglasses but she was running late and didn't have time to spare to go back for them.

Not to mention, she was too eager to see Ryusei. He had been putting in long hours in practice recently. He had always been a hard worker but even since he announced their engagement much to his father's displeasure, he had been working harder to prove himself. Although the gesture was noble, it meant they hardly had time to spend together. Most days they were lucky to get a few minutes to themselves backstage before one of the assistants started pounding on the door asking for Ryusei.

But today was going to be different. Ryusei had noticed a break in his hectic schedule and proposed the two of them going out. Akari eagerly agreed. When she arrived at the designated meeting place, she began to search for Ryusei. The train station was fairly crowded but Ryusei was easy to spot. Like every other time he ventured out in public, he was in disguise. A pair of dark sunglasses hid his warm brown eyes and a gray hood covered his dark brown hair. However, it didn't manage to stop him from gaining an audience. Two high school girls stood close to him, trying to chat him up.

Rather than feeling annoyed, Akari just smiled and shook his head. No matter where he went or what he did, Ryusei would always garner attention. It only took one look to see that he was special. When Ryusei spotted her, he left the shocked girls behind and abruptly made his way towards her.

"Akari," he said, the rough timbre of his voice caused her smile to grow.

"Ryusei," she said, taking his hand. The best part of Ryusei wasn't his good looks or his dedication to Kabuki, it was the fact that for whatever reason, he saw something special in her too.


	3. Warmth on a Rainy Day

**Author's Note**: I had intended to delete this story to clear up my account but there really aren't enough stories for Backstage Prince on this site. Updates will be highly sporadic but I'll do my best to post these drabbles every so often.

**Summary**: He warned her, but sometimes it paid not to listen.

**Prompt**: Warned

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Warmth on a Rainy Day

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He warned her. Akari sat huddled beneath the roof of a building teeth chattering from the cold. Goosebumps danced and scattered across her arms as her rain-soaked clothing stuck to her skin. Her short-sleeved summer blouse was cute but no protection from the cold and rain. Ryusei had taken one look at the sky and told her to take an umbrella with her. At the time, she had laughed and called him a worrywart. In her mind there was no way the lightly cloudy day would turn to rain. Now, she wished she had heeded his advice.

The rain had started ten minutes ago and showed no sign of letting up anytime soon. Akari groaned and hugged her knees closer to her body. She was probably going to end up with a cold from this. Ryusei was still practicing and she couldn't bring herself to disturb him. He had been having some difficulty with the new dance and needed to concentrate. Akari tried to call her family but so far no one was picking up. She would just have to wait it out.

"Do you need some help?"

Akari blinked and looked up. A pair of boys stood before her, each one holding an umbrella. She blushed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I didn't think it was going to rain."

The first boy laughed. "Want me to walk you home?"

She hesitated. They seemed nice and friendly but Ryuusei always warned her about being too trusting. She smiled and was about to politely refused when a voice did it for her.

"Don't bother."

Akari blinked and looked at the newcomer. "Ryusei!"

The first boy looked at Ryusei. "Look," he said, moving to block Akari's view of her boyfriend, "I don't know what your problem is-"

"My problem is you're hitting on my girlfriend."

Akari blushed, her body filling with warmth. Ryusei rarely talked to people about their relationship and anytime he did she felt a flood of warm affection for him. Ryusei reached down and pulled her to her feet. "Let's go," he said, pulling her under his umbrella and away from the boys.

His umbrella was small and she remained tucked close to his side as they walked home. From this distance, she could feel the heat from his body. Rain kept hitting her outside shoulder from where it protrude from the umbrella's shelter but Akari couldn't help but feel warm on the inside. She sneaked a glance at Ryusei. He frowned looking straight ahead.

'What's wrong?" she asked.

Ryusei scowled at her. "Why didn't you call me?"

"You were practicing. I didn't want to interrupt."

"So instead you run off without an umbrella?"

Akari smiled apologetically. "I didn't think I was going to be gone very long. And it wasn't raining when I left."

He shook his head. "I don't know what was so important that it couldn't wait."

Akari smiled excitedly. She stopped to dig around her purse. With a bright grin, she pulled out a small loaf of anpan. When he saw it, Ryusei's eyes widened. "You've been working so hard lately," she explained, offering it up to him, "I wanted to get you a treat."

Immediately, Ryusei's face softened. Akari's smiled deepened. Carefully checking first to see that the road was empty, he slowly leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. "Thanks," he whispered.

She smiled, arms circling around him to give him hug, "you're welcome."


End file.
